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Thunderbird MBA Student Matthew Erley ’14 was part of a team that took second place in the fourth annual Sony Electronics Marketing Case Competition sponsored by Sony in partnership with the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego on Nov. 8-9.

MBA students from universities across the United States were randomly assigned to teams and challenged to develop a compelling marketing strategy for a real-world Sony business case under strict time constraints.

Erley and his teammates Oluseyi Oshinowo of UC San Diego, Damon Manak of the University of California at Irvine, and Yael Foss of New York University presented a marketing campaign to Sony executives centered around the company’s noise-cancelling technology, which won the team second place and $4,000.

Erley said that competing on a team with other MBA students from around the country was a fantastic experience. “The competition challenged us to come up with a cohesive and implementable marketing strategy in just one day,” Erley said. “As a T-Bird, I am certainly used to collaborating with other students, so I felt well prepared for this competition.”

Sony uses the annual competition, in part, to see top MBAs in action to consider them for roles within Sony’s Rotation & Education Development Program, a two-year leadership development program for recent MBA graduates, and elsewhere within the organization.

Rady School Program Manager Chris Kelly said the judges were impressed with the talent this year. “The Sony judges were very complimentary of the students and felt that this year’s participants were some of the best they have encountered during these competitions,” he said. “Sony made it clear to the students that their ideas and input would be part of the strategic direction of Sony Electronics.”

Thunderbird is the world’s No.1-ranked school of international business with nearly 70 years of experience in developing leaders with the global mindset, business skills and social responsibility necessary to create real, sustainable value for their organizations, communities and the world.

Dedicated to preparing students to be global leaders and committed global citizens, Thunderbird was the first graduate business school to adopt a Professional Oath of Honor. Thunderbird’s global network of alumni numbers 40,000 graduates in 148 nations worldwide. The school is sought out by graduate students, working professionals and companies seeking to gain the skills necessary for success in today’s global economy. For more about Thunderbird, visit http://www.thunderbird.edu.